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Stocks mostly rose Wednesday ahead of key US economic and earnings reports, while traders took in their stride data showing Chinese factory activity contracted at its fastest pace for nearly two years as Donald Trump's trade war kicked in.

TotalEnergies said Wednesday that its net profit fell in the first quarter despite expanding production, as a slide in global crude oil prices penalises the financial performance of energy firms.

Europe's largest carmaker Volkswagen said Wednesday that first quarter profit plunged due to higher costs as it warned of muted business for the rest of the year in the wake of trade tensions.

Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Peugeot and Fiat, said Wednesday it was suspending its 2025 earnings forecast due to uncertainty caused by US tariffs.

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power.

France's economy returned to growth in the first three months of the year but the expansion was modest, held back by sluggish household consumption and stagnant investment, official data showed Wednesday.

Former Premier League midfielder Li Tie has lost his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for bribery, a Chinese court said on Wednesday.

A police station in the historic sailors' quarter of the Belgian port of Antwerp is surrounded by sex workers' neon-lit red-light windows.

The Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics became the latest teams to book their places in the second round of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday as the Detroit Pistons thwarted the New York Knicks to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Former world number one Jon Rahm said Wednesday he had not done himself "any favours" in his winless start to the season ahead of LIV Golf's South Korea debut.

Tokyo's tariffs envoy departed Wednesday for a second round of negotiations in Washington, where Japan could offer concessions such as tweaking vehicle import procedures to secure relief from Donald Trump's trade levies.

Djurgarden are targeting a seismic Conference League shock against Chelsea on Thursday, when they will become the first Swedish team to play in a European semi-final for 38 years.

The Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics became the latest teams to book their places in the second round of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday as the Detroit Pistons thwarted the New York Knicks to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Reclining on sofas at a South Korean cafe, customers sip iced americanos as they gaze past barbed wire fences and watchtowers at the mountains of North Korea.

Since the start of the school year in March, Afghan boys have been required to wear new uniforms of turbans and long tunics, following an order to adopt outfits reflecting Taliban rule.

Stocks started limply Wednesday as investors struggled to match Wall Street's rally, with data showing Chinese factory activity contracted this month at its fastest pace for nearly two years as Donald Trump's trade war kicked in.

Bodo/Glimt's historic run to the semi-finals of this season's Europa League has not happened by chance after a remarkable success story that has been years in the making.

Ange Postecoglou can still make good on his claim that he always wins a trophy in his second season but he must find a way to inspire struggling Tottenham for a shot at Europa League glory.

In the vast white expanse around Churapcha in eastern Siberia, the ever more rapid thaw of the permafrost is changing the landscape, cracking up houses and releasing greenhouse gases.

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday raided the home of the country's ex-president, Yonhap reported, as part of a probe into a shaman accused of receiving lavish gifts for the former first lady.

Asia's front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the "Asian Francis".

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics reported a better-than-expected 21.7 percent rise in first-quarter net profit on Wednesday as consumers rushed to buy smartphones under the looming threat of US tariffs.

A seasoned diplomat who worked with Pope Francis for 12 years, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is well-known in Rome and abroad, and a serious contender to be the next pontiff.

A landmark security pact to overhaul Australia's navy with American muscle faces growing scepticism, stoked by its eyewatering cost and growing distrust of US President Donald Trump.

China's manufacturing activity shrank in April after growing at its highest rate in a year the previous month, official data showed Wednesday, as Beijing fights an intensifying trade war with the United States.

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has ushered in sweeping changes to international geopolitics and US government administration with little regard for norms that have constrained predecessors.

A Swedish journalist arrested on arrival in Istanbul to cover last month's massive street protests goes on trial Wednesday on charges of insulting Turkey's president, his lawyer said.

Les Kiss said it would be "the honour of a lifetime" to lead Australia in their home 2027 World Cup after it was announced Wednesday that he would take over as Wallabies head coach from Joe Schmidt in 2026.

US GDP figures for the first quarter are expected to show a sharp drop-off in growth -- and possibly even a recession -- reflecting a surge in imports before President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs came into effect.

Trinidad and Tobago's centrist former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will return as leader of the Caribbean nation after her party's victory in Monday's parliamentary election, the electoral commission confirmed Tuesday.

American golfer Brandt Snedeker and Australia's Geoff Ogilvy will be the respective captains of the United States and International Teams for next year's Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday.

Ruben Amorim has bet the house on the Europa League after Manchester United's disastrous Premier League campaign, knowing this season and next hinge on winning the competition.